Make Travel Decisions Research Articles

An Emerging Trend of Slow Tourism: Perceptions of Hungarian Citizens

Besides slow food, slow city, slow fashion, education, and marketing - slow tourism is one of the several different slow movements. Several trends justify the importance and the reasons for the existence of slow tourism: the aging society, the growing power of women in making travel decisions. Slow tourism was born as a possibility for those, who would like to live their life in a different way even during their travels: giving respect to the environment and to the people, too. In case of slow tourism culture, traditions, gastronomy is in the center. Sustainability is also a priority, meanwhile, the well-being and interests of the inhabitants of the destination are also taken into account. Instead of mass tourism products authentic, not standardized experiences are in the supply. The research aimed to investigate the attitudes and perceptions of respondents towards different slow tourism elements. The study is based on quantitative data from an online survey conducted with 386 Hungarian respondents in the framework of omnibus research. To reveal the perceptions and attitude of the respondents towards slow elements multidimensional scaling model and principal component methods were applied. Based on the results it can be concluded, that the local elements of a journey are important for the respondents, meanwhile, the personalized services, the spirituality of the destination, and the sustainable approach do not matter. Only a small proportion of respondents avoids crowded destinations, so traveling to hidden places is not a favorite holiday option for the majority of Hungarians. However, the coronavirus epidemics can strengthen the demand for this tourism product, since expectedly there will be more tourists, who want to avoid crowded places during their holiday. Service providers can also benefit from the results of the research, and concentrate on the elements that proved to be important for Hungarian travelers.

Covid-19 Sonrası Konaklama Tesislerinde Yeni Uygulama: Güvenli Turizm Sertifikasyon Programı

Covid-19 pandemic, as in many countries in social and economic activities in Turkey has affected in a negative way. One of the sectors that felt the most consequences of this effect is the tourism sector. Crisis management and precautionary policies are implemented in order to prevent possible problems that may arise in the tourism sector as in other sectors. The measures taken by both the state and the society in order to control the pandemic have been named as "New normal" and a new era has begun. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has implemented the 'Safe Tourism Certification Program', which extends from tourism workers to visitors in Turkey, by taking a series of measures to ensure that all visitors have a holiday within this scope.The purpose of this study is to examine the Safe Tourism Certification Program, which includes the practices taken in the accommodation facilities with the circulars containing the sector-specific measures issued by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. In the light of the evaluations, at the end of the study, it is revealed that consumers prioritize health and hygiene factors apart from their previous habits in the travel decision and purchasing process and make travel decisions according to the precautions taken.

Ranking Tourist Attractions through Online Reviews: A Novel Method with Intuitionistic and Hesitant Fuzzy Information Based on Sentiment Analysis

Online tourist reviews are the real feeling of tourists after the journey, which have a strong reference value for potential tourists to make travel decisions. However, it is almost impossible for a potential tourist to look through the massive online reviews related to tourist attractions (TAs) so that he/she can make the most appropriate decision. To this end, this paper proposes a recommender system to rank the alternative TAs through online reviews based on aspect-level sentiment analysis and multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) with intuitionistic and hesitant fuzzy information. In this methodology, the aspects that the experienced tourists concern are extracted from online reviews to construct a three-level evaluation system (including target layer, criteria layer and sub-criteria layer), which not only ensures the comprehensive evaluation of TAs as much as possible, but also reduces the complexity of the decision-making process. Then, the online reviews related to these sub-criteria are transformed into the corresponding intuitionistic and hesitant fuzzy performance scores through aspect-level sentiment analysis. Furthermore, in order to obtain the final ranking result that more in line with the expectations of the potential tourist, the preference information from the potential tourist and experienced tourists is integrated to determine the weights of criteria. Subsequently, the intuitionistic and hesitant fuzzy TOPSIS (IHF-TOPSIS) method is proposed to rank the alternative TAs. Finally, a case study is provided to verify the validity and applicability of the methodology.

The Impact of Same versus Different Price Presentation on Travel Choice and the Moderating Role of Childhood Socioeconomic Status

When making travel decisions, consumers are frequently exposed to a multitude of options, including differing price levels for the same product or service across a range of online travel agencies. The current research investigates how the magnitude of price dispersion in online pricing can influence travelers’ product evaluations and purchase intentions. Specifically, we predict that travelers will prefer a hotel with no price dispersion to a hotel with different prices listed when the price difference is small, or narrow. However, when the price difference is more pronounced, or wide, travelers will prefer a hotel with price differences compared to a hotel with no price dispersion. Four experiments demonstrate that this effect is consistent across different contexts and categories. Additionally, based on life history theory, we argue that the relative preference for the same versus different price dispersion will be moderated by the travelers’ childhood socioeconomic status (SES).

Evaluating and Categorizing Cruise Lines by ship attributes: A Comparison Between Cruisers and Experts

Electronic Word-of-Mouth (eWOM) is an important information source used by consumers to make travel decisions. However, eWOM from travel experts and everyday travelers can be inconsistent, potentially leading to blurred product evaluations and market positioning. This paper examines this issue in the context of the cruise industry with the goal of identifying differences in the evaluation of cruise brands by cruise experts and consumers, as well as the product factors that influence these judgements. The research used a data-driven empirical approach and secondary data from a leading cruise review site consisting of scaled ratings across 9 ship attributes and 24 brands by more than 150,000 cruisers and 174 experts. Data analysis using the TOPSIS method and regression and multigroup models shows that experts and cruisers evaluate cruise brands differently and are influenced by different ship attributes when forming evaluations. For example, value-add attributes (e.g., service, enrichment activities, fitness/recreation) significantly influence overall evaluations for cruisers, while core attributes (e.g., cabin, dining, entertainment) significantly influence overall evaluations for experts. Discussion of the empirical results highlights these differences in cruiser vs. expert perceptions as revealed online, as well as the need to update traditional cruise industry categorization to optimize brand positioning and better align product-marketing strategies for effective target marketing.

Persepsi Risiko Covid-19 terhadap Intensi Berwisata di Jabodetabek

Since the Covid-19 pandemic has been declared as a global pandemic, tourism was the most affected sector by pandemic Covid-19. For the tourism industry, there are direct consequences for the national and local restrictions that have a direct impact on people's lives to minimize the spread of the virus. There are human mobility and the possibility of direct physical contact between individuals. Several things that are considered by tourists in making travel decisions, including the risk perception and their travelling’s safety to a destination. There are several risk perceptions, namely the financial risk perception, time risk, social-psychological risk and health risk. Hypothesis using SEM AMOS to majority 16-25 years old respondents, found no direct influence between perceived risk and intention to travel. The results showed that an increase in risk perception did not affect a decrease in travel intention. Among the 4 variables tested, perceptions of financial risk have the greatest influence, followed by perceptions of health risk, social-psychological risk and time risk.

Optimization of Tourism Information Analysis System Based on Big Data Algorithm

On the basis of ecological footprint theory and tourism ecological footprint theory, the sustainable development indexes such as ecological footprint, ecological carrying capacity, ecological deficit, and ecological surplus of the research area were calculated and the long-term change pattern of each index was analyzed. This paper shows that the ecological footprint of the research area increases year by year, but the ecological footprint is always smaller than the ecological carrying capacity, indicating that the area is still in the state of sustainable development. However, the per capita ecological surplus shows a decreasing trend year by year, indicating that the sustainable development of the region is getting worse. This paper proposes a reordering method of tourist attractions based on heterogeneous information fusion, and realizes the retrieval and reordering of tourist attractions based on user query and fusion of heterogeneous information, so as to help users make travel decisions. In view of the shortage of tourism commercial websites to passively provide scenic spot information, this paper puts forward a scenic spot retrieval method based on query words to enable users to obtain scenic spot information according to their needs, and constructs a tourist consumer data analysis system. The preprocessing methods and methods adopted by the data preprocessing module are analyzed in detail, and the algorithms used in the travel route analysis and consumer spending ability analysis are described in detail. The data of tourism consumers are analyzed by this system, and the results are evaluated.

Cost-Based attraction recommendation for tour operators under stochastic demand

Attraction recommendation is a key functionality offered by tour operators. The main stakeholders of attraction recommendations include tourists and tour operators. The former use recommendations to make travel decisions, and the latter manage recommendations for their own benefits. Most existing attraction recommendation methods focus on providing recommendations that best match tourists’ preferences, yet overlook the benefits of tour operators. To address this gap, we conduct a two-phase study that focuses on cost-based attraction recommendations under stochastic tourist demand from the perspective of tour operators. In the first phase, we obtain preliminary recommendation solutions that best match tourists’ topic preferences. Then, with the consideration of cost factors, a stochastic programming model with a joint chance constraint is proposed to refine the preliminary recommendation solutions in the second phase, and a tractable model based upon Sample Average Approximation (SAA) method is further presented. To assess the performance of the proposed method, comprehensive experiments are conducted with both simulated instances and real-world data. The results indicate that the proposed optimization model can significantly reduce tour operators’ recommendation cost while maintaining a high service level and tourist satisfaction.

The Research of the Continuance Intention of students to Use Tourism APP——Based on the TPB Model

Recently, the intelligent tourism has become increasingly popular in tourism industry. Particularly, the tourism APP has become an important and convenient channel for tourists to make travel decisions and take relevant behaviors. The paper mainly researches the continuously using intention of customers to tourism APP among five dimensions (the behavioral intention, the subject norms, the perceived behavioral control, the past behavior and the behavioral attitude) through the theory of planned behavior model. Besides, this paper chooses the college students in Dalian, China as the research object of study and provides a research reference for tourism APP companies.

A Study on the Evaluation Indicators for Developing Regional Tourism and Recreational Systems

This study applied the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to existing literature on developing regional tourism and recreational systems, dividing the evaluation indicators into five main criteria and 19 sub-criteria, including the “selection of geographical location,” “development resources and facilities,” “transport and services,” “destination competitiveness,” and “impact of recreational activities.” Opinions of experts from academia, industry, and the government were collected to analytically weigh each indicator, providing a reference and evaluation basis for relevant institutions. The conclusion shows that Taiwanese people stress the convenience of round-trip transportation and services when making travel decisions.

ДОСТУПНИЙ ТУРИЗМ ДЛЯ ВСІХ У ЄВРОПЕЙСЬКОМУ СОЮЗІ

The Global Code of Ethics for Tourism promotes the right of all people to equality in access to contemplate the resources of the planet, which, in turn, is the main principle of accessible tourism for all. Modern approaches to understanding the concepts of accessible tourism for all are analyzed in this paper. Accessible tourism for all means that any tourism product should be designed irrespective of age, gender and ability and with no additional costs for customers with disabilities and specific access requirements. Role of the principles of universal design for accessible tourism for all is characterized. In contrast to the concept of accessibility, which only applies to low-mobility categories of the population and focuses on physical access to transport and buildings, as well as access to information, the concept of universal design emphasizes creating the same conditions convenient for all users, without impersonating some of them. Three main prerequisites for the development of accessible tourism for all in the European Union are determined and characterized, in particular, existing accessibility legislation and standards at the global, European and national levels, population ageing and increase in the number of people with disabilities. There is the problem in Ukraine of the lack of accessibility standards for tourism facilities and services, so it is important to learn the experience of the European Union. The European Union population is aging and this trend will continue in the future. This phenomenon is a major challenge for the society, but at the same time, it also represents a great opportunity for local businesses and for the whole European economy. Elderly people (65 years and older) are encouraged to travel by different motives: visiting relatives, gaining cultural or gastronomic experience, they are interested in traveling on cruise ships, relaxing on the coast, participating in sports events or ethnic holidays. They tend to spend more while traveling and stay longer. Tourists with disabilities, above all, make travel decisions based on the opinions of their friends, and rely less on special offers aimed at them. Online offers and printed brochures of travel agencies influence their decision at the same level. France and the United Kingdom have the most disabled people in the EU. The European Union is the main tourism destination in the world. Five its member states (France, Spain, Italy, Great Britain, Germany) belong to the top ten countries of the world on arrival of tourists. The map of the most accessible cities of the European Union is created and the quantitative distribution of these cities by country of ownership is presented. France, Germany and Sweden are leaders in the European Union by the number of the most accessible cities in 2011-2018. Among the 23 most accessible cities, only five are the capitals of states. At the same time, the city of Ljubljana in Slovenia was twice noted by the European Commission as one of the most accessible. Elements of the tourism chain include: tourism destination management; tourism information and advertising (preparation, information and booking); urban and architectural environments; modes of transport and stations; accommodation, food service and conventions; cultural activities (museums, theatres, cinemas, and other); other tourism activities and events. On the basis of the theory of accessibility chain structure and the tourism chain, the best practices of accessible tourism for all are analyzed using the example of the city of Lyon – the great business center in France, which in 2018 was recognized by the European Commission accessible in the European Union.

Riding waves of intra-seasonal demand in surf tourism: analysing the nexus of seasonality and 21st century surf forecasting technology

ABSTRACTThis study examines the natural component of seasonality in surf tourism. Using survey responses collected globally, we first analyse how surfers report using forecasts to make travel decisions. Occupancy and head-count data were also collected in Pavones, Costa Rica and analyzed against surf forecast data to empirically assess intra-seasonal fluctuations. Despite a small and highly skilled subset of the surf population, most international travel is booked months in advance based on climatic factors. Case study results indicate, however, that intra-seasonal travel behaviour within a country is correlated to both mid-range (occupancy) and short range (head-counts in the water) forecasts. Combined, surf forecasts and observed natural conditions impact surf travel behaviours in nuanced ways that deserve further attention to better understand destination and hospitality management, as well as, host and guest satisfaction and how they relate to intra-seasonal and intra-regional travel patterns.

How do young Chinese friendship groups make travel decisions? A content and interaction process analysis

ABSTRACTYoung Chinese tourists form an increasingly important market and they tend to travel in small friendship or family groups. This study examines how young Chinese friendship groups (aged between 18 and 35 years) make travel decisions. Using the observation approach, this study observes the group travel decision-making process of 10 small groups. Issues such as activity, cost, travel timing, transportation, climate, safety, and distance, were found to determine destination choice. The role and function of verbal and non-verbal behaviors in influencing group decision-making were also investigated. This study contributes to both general group interaction literature and tourism literature.

Travel motivation of Malaysian University students

The segment of youth travel has been considered a niche market and was treated as a branch of the tourism industry. In the past few decades, its market value has begun to increase significantly bringing real benefits to the companies tapping into this segment by developing appropriate strategies and policies. Given its significance, there have been an increasing number of researches in this topic with a focus on university students market, which have been largely neglected in the past. This study in particular, utilized the push and pull analysis in decrypting university students motivation to travel. For that purposes, a total of 500 students from Universiti Utara Malaysia were selected for the self-administered surveys using systematic random sampling approach. The statistical analysis indicates that several push and pull factors were considered very important for the university students in making travel decisions. In addition to that, travel characteristics of university students revealed crucial information for travel suppliers and marketers in delivering specialised services that could satisfy their unique needs and desires.

A first look at bridging discrete choice modeling and agent-based microsimulation in MATSim

The agent-based transport simulation framework MATSim allows for the simulation of dynamic transport scenarios with agents, that adaptively make travel choices. Regarding mode choice, a heavily randomized process is used to date, which allows for very unrealistic mode decisions in the short run to arrive at consistent mode shares after a large number of iterations. The authors show that implementing a discrete mode choice model may drastically increase the convergence speed of the simulation, but point out that considerable future research is necessary to make travel decisions consistent and to back the process with a strong theoretical foundation.

Customer engagement and the relationship between involvement, engagement, self-brand connection and brand usage intent

Consumers rely on social media to make travel decisions, and actively engage in relationships with tourism brands on social media. Our research contribution is threefold. First, we validate the consumer brand engagement (CBE) scale proposed by Hollebeek, Glynn, and Brodie (2014). Second, we use social exchange theory to replicate their proposed model to relate CBE to consumer involvement, self-brand connection, and brand usage. Third, we contribute to tourism marketing theory and practice. The CBE scale exhibited exceptional fit in the tourism context. The models confirmed that all three dimensions of CBE had significant effects on self-brand connection and brand usage intent. Tourism organizations may utilize these findings to foster stronger connections with consumers and increase the likelihood of consumers using their sites by focusing on strategies to develop CBE.

ASSESSMENT OF THE MARKETING ACTIVITY IN FIVE-STAR HOTELS

This study aims to assess the marketing activitiy in five star hotels in Greater Cairo. It identifies the factors that have an impact on customers' purchasing decisions. A questionnaire form was developed to collect the required data for this study. A total of 300 forms were randomly distributed to a sample of hotel guests; only 248 forms (82.7%) were valid for analysis. Moreover, 20 valid forms were received from marketing managers. The obtained results showed that the majority of marketing managers use face to face selling as a direct marketing, in addition to the demand based pricing, they organize celebrations of different events and they continuously update the hotels’ offers and discounts. On the other hand, the majority of the surveyed guests showed interest in offers and discounts provided by hotels; they prefer hotels that offer fair prices and ensure quality of service. In general, they use travel agents, hotels advertising campaigns and the internet for searching and they use the internet heavily to help them make travel decisions more quickly.

Season-aware attraction recommendation method with dual-trust enhancement

Attraction recommendation plays an essential role in tourism. For example, it can relieve information overload for tourists and increase sales for tourism operators. When making travel decisions, tourists depend heavily on the personal preferences and suggestions from people they trust. However, most existing attraction recommendation methods focus on the tourist preferences for topics of attractions, yet overlook the seasonality in topic preferences. Additionally, extant studies are generally based on a single type of trust, which may represent trust relations inaccurately. In order to overcome these issues, we propose a novel season-aware attraction recommendation method based on the seasonal topic preferences and dual-trust relations. Firstly, we capture tourists’ seasonal topic preferences by analyzing their travel histories along two dimensions: time and attraction. Secondly, we develop a dual-trust relationship (DTR) model based on familiarity-based trust and similarity-based trust, in contrast to existing studies that purely focus on a single type of trust. Thirdly, we propose a novel season-aware attraction recommendation method named SAR-DTR. In a specific season, it predicts ratings based on both topic preferences in the given season and suggestions from tourists they trust. To demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method to other approaches, an empirical study with real-world data was conducted. The experimental results regarding both prediction and recommendation performance are reported.

Smartphones and Urban Transportation Mode Choice

The arrival of smartphones has profoundly impacted how commuters make travel decisions. Using travel diary data, we estimate a discrete choice model that identifi es a signi ficant complementarity between smartphones and commuting via public transit. We address potential correlation in unobservables for smartphone ownership and mode choice by making use of excludable variables: mode-specifi c prices, travel times, and the release of the iPhone 4s (the first iPhone featuring Siri). We fi nd that 18% of transit commutes as well as 4.5% of smartphone ownership in the sample can be attributed to this complementarity.

Social media use in pre-trip planning by tourists visiting a small regional leisure destination

The aim of this study is to develop a better understanding of the use of social media in tourism pre-trip information search patterns for small regional leisure destinations. Only limited research has previously focused on how small regional destinations use and adopt social media strategies. This study addresses this gap in the literature by developing a better understanding of the challenges faced by small regional destinations. The results based on a visitor survey of 986 tourists found that social media was important for 27.9% of respondents when searching for information about their upcoming trip. Surprisingly, only a small number of respondents (15.6%) reported using apps to assist them make travel decisions. The growth in the use of social media allied with increasing ownership levels of smartphones indicates that destination marketing organizations of small regional destinations need to pay greater attention to social media and its delivery systems including smartphones. Implications are discussed for managers and stakeholders of small regional destinations, who may find this study valuable in guiding their future social media marketing efforts.